Hansal Mehta talks about Aligarh

Hansal Mehta is enjoying a career renaissance. The National Award winning Shahid in 2012. The critically acclaimed CityLights in 2014. And the upcoming Aligarh in 2016. The latter completing a trilogy of themes that are dark and compelling. He insists one reason his films are getting better is because he’s gone beyond the rigmarole of success and failure. “I’ve accepted the cycle of life. Hence, I’ve named my production company Karma,” he says with a sage like calm. What matters to him is the fact that he’s able to tell his kind of stories, “I’m living for that world, the illusion created between ‘action’ and ‘cut’.”

Why Aligarh

Aligarh received a standing ovation at the 20th Busan Film Festival, the 59th London and the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. The part-fiction part-fact film is based on the real-life outrage and tragedy that surrounded Marathi professor and Head of the Classical Modern Indian Languages Faculty at Aligarh Muslim University - Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras. The professor’s homosexual relationship with a rickshaw puller was snooped upon and the resultant infamy allegedly drove him to suicide. “Homosexuality was the professor’s personal choice. The larger issue was the invasion of privacy. Institutions have no right to make a public spectacle of your private choice and be judgmental about it. Two people having consensual relations in the privacy of his quarters is nobody’s business,” says Hansal. The common reactions after the screening was that he had dealt with homosexuality in a dignified manner. “Many called me to say, ‘It’s my story’. There are many who remain closeted. For me, the biggest achievement was when Apurva Asrani (editor and screenwriter) opened up about his sexuality with Aligarh.” Hansal adds, “The invasion of the Government and institutions into our lives through the Internet and mobile is growing. Employees are tracked in offices. Professors are tracked in colleges.”

Manoj is the man

Manoj Bajpayee, who plays the protagonist, Professor Siras, was suggested by casting director Mukesh Chhabra. “By far this is perhaps Manoj’s finest performance in recent years,” shares Hansal. The film portrays the loneliness and longing of the professor. Hansal claims there’s one emotional sequence he’s immensely proud of. “Manoj is listening to Lata Mangeshkar’s song Aap ki nazron ne samjha from Anpadh, a glass of whisky in his hand. For me Lata has been a companion, her music being integral to the various phases in my life. Satya Rai Nagpaul, my cinematographer, interpreted the scene with light and shade and created an evocative imagery. In three and a half minute, you understand the man, his world and his loneliness,” he describes adding, “I’ve read the professor’s poetry. It had a sense of yearning.”

My hero - Rajkummar

Rajkummar Rao, Hansal’s muse in Shahid and CityLights, is also part of Aligarh. “Rajkummar plays a character based on real-life journalist Deepu Sebastian Edmund (an Indian Express staffer) who’s based in Ranchi.” Reportedly, Deepu followed the case from the time Siras’s hounding began, through his fight in court to get his suspension from AMU over ‘gross misconduct’ revoked, till his death. “We told Deepu that we’d be taking liberties with his character. I meet a lot of young journalists. They chase me for stories. Pareshan kar dete hain. We borrowed a lot of nuances from them,” he smiles. The long-drawn kiss between Manoj’s character and the rickshaw-puller has made much noise already. Hansal is unperturbed by the reactions it could invite. “The kiss has been done beautifully. It’s subtle and part of the script. It’s not meant to titillate.”

Heart talk

Fifteen years back Hansal made Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!, a film whose nose-diving, in marked contrast to the title, he took to heart. “The failure of Dil Pe… took me to the point of self-destruction. Years of dejection and bankruptcy took its toll. My films couldn’t find a voice. I took to alcoholism. My relationships broke down. My parents supported me for years,” he recollects adding, “But failure is a teacher. It taught me to accept whatever comes your way.”

It was the no-show of Woodstock Villa, which ultimately pushed him far from the city. “I went off to a small village Malavali between Lonavala and Pune with my partner Safeena Hussain. At 10,000 to 15000 a month we could survive. I wanted to free the knots in my head.” The sabbatical extended to three years. “I cooked, I blogged. Cooking is like meditation,” he states. “Through blogging my political thoughts also found a voice. That drew me to Shahid Azmi’s (slain Human Rights lawyer) story,” he says. And Shahid – the story of an ordinary citizen with an extraordinary commitment to justice - was born. “Shahid’s brothers watched the film. After the National Award celebration, his younger brother Khalid broke down. He said, ‘You made him a household name. Aapne Shahid ko dobara zinda kar diya’. Understandably, his mother didn’t watch it. She said, ‘I can’t watch my son dying again’.”

Finding Family

After Aligarh, he will begin work on Simran with Kangana Ranaut, a fascinating journey of a Gujarati girl. In his personal life too he’s found harmony. “I told myself ya filmein banao ya apne aap ko maar dalo. So, I gave up alcohol,” he smiles. He has two girls, nine-year-old Kimaya and six-year-old Rehana with partner Safeena. “After having children, I believe it’s silly to get married now. Marriage as an institution is redundant. Sabse oonchi prem sagai. We’re together because of love and not a certificate,” he laughs. Hansal had married Sunita when he was in his 20s. They had two sons Jay and Pallav. “Jay is 24 and has assisted me in Aligarh. Pallav is 20. He’s a special child,” he says. His ex-wife Sunita, who was suffering from cancer, passed away a few months ago. The rites of passage have taught him much. Sahir Ludhinavi’s song Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya from Hum Dono is his hymn. “Mahesh Bhatt saab once told me every film is a journey. Only your co-travellers change. So enjoy while it lasts,” he says. “I’ve had the fortune of meeting artistes ,who have such volatility within them. And with them I too am living a life less ordinary.”